Related Information
Education
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University of Kentucky College of Law
J.D. 2003
Kentucky Law Journal, Managing Editor 2002-03; Stoll, Keenon & Park Scholarship for Outstanding Service to the Kentucky Law Journal, 2002
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Davidson College
B.A. 2000
English
Oxford University, Lincoln College, Classics, Fall 1998, European Studies Program through Rhodes College and University of the South
Admissions
Kentucky
U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky
U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky
Service Areas
- Alternative Dispute Resolution
- Appellate Advocacy
- Business Litigation
- Civil Litigation
- Class Action, Mass Action & Multi-District Litigation
- Commercial Disputes - Contracts and Business Torts
- Complex / Large Litigation
- Pretrial Practice & eDiscovery
- Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals & Medical Device Liability Defense
- Multi-State, Multi-District and Serial Litigation
- Product Liability
- Professional Liability (Non-Medical Professionals)
- Trial Practice
- Torts & Insurance Practice
Industry Experience
- Arbitration / Mediation / Dispute Resolution
- Chemical & Allied Products / Plastics
- Construction
- Consumer Products / Food / Beverage
- Industrial / Manufacturing Facilities
- Not For Profit & Professional / Trade Organizations
- Pharmaceutical / Medical Devices
- Restaurants / Food Services
Memberships
- American Bar Association, Products Liability Committee; Products Liability newsletter, executive editor
- Kentucky Bar Association
- Louisville Bar Association
- Defense Research Institute (DRI)
- Kentucky Defense Counsel
Community Involvement
- Louisville Visual Arts Association, Board of Directors
- Dress for Success Louisville, Advisory Council (former Board of Directors)
- Davidson College Young Alumni Leadership Team, Class Chair
- Louisville Legal Aid Society, volunteer
- Center for Women and Families, volunteer
- YWC of Louisville
Whitney Frazier Watt has a wide-ranging practice that includes but is not limited to, product liability cases, contract disputes, toxic tort cases, professional negligence cases, tortious interference cases, and mass actions.
Recent Assignments
- Defends litigation against a prominent consumer products manufacturer
- Coordinates litigation against a major manufacturer of respiratory protection products, managing over 200 cases
- Assisted the firm in defending litigation against a prominent medical device manufacturer involving claims in multiple states
- Served as second chair during two trials, a product liability case and a medical malpractice case, which both resulted in favorable verdicts for our clients
- Secured several voluntary dismissals for a major manufacturer of water valves in product liability cases filed in Kentucky, Georgia, Virginia and Indiana
Recent Speaking Engagements and Publications
- Speaker, "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Products Liability Year in Review," ABA Joint Products Liability, Mass Torts, and Environmental CLE, Hollywood, Fla., scheduled for January 2012
- Moderator, "Ethical Considerations for Using Technology in Your Practice," ABA Women in Products Liability CLE, New York, NY, November 2010
- Moderator, "Avoiding Discovery Pitfalls - How to Manage Your Document Productions and Reviews in a Way that Will Satisfy Your Client and Win Your Case," ABA Joint Products Liability, Mass Torts & Environmental CLE, Beaver Creek, Colo., January 2010
- "Chapter 2: Preparation for Trial & Organization of Trial Materials," Kentucky Civil Practice at Trial, Third Edition, UK/CLE, 2008
- "Litigating in the Face of E-Discovery Rules: Post-Implementation Perspectives and Practice Tips," Moderator, ABA Women in Products Liability CLE, New Orleans, La., October 2007
- "Removing to Federal Court?," Litigation Leader, v. 1, no. 1, March 2005
- "The Constitutionality of Detainment in the Wake of September 11th," 90 Kentucky Law Journal 1089 (2002)
Before Stites & Harbison
Ms. Watt was Managing Editor of the Kentucky Law Journal at the University of Kentucky College of Law. While in law school she served as an intern for the Honorable Joseph M. Hood, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky.
More than Stites & Harbison
Whitney is the Executive Editor of the American Bar Association's Products Liability newsletter. She also serves on the Board of Directors for the Louisville Visual Arts Association, the Advisory Council for Dress for Success Louisville, an organization helping low-income women transition back into the workforce, on the firm's Recruiting Committee, and as a Class Chair for the Davidson College Young Alumni Leadership Team. Whitney is a volunteer attorney for the Louisville Legal Aid Society and the Center for Women and Families. She was honored as Dress for Success Louisville's Board Member of the Year (2008) and as a 2009 Superwoman for Supergirls, Inc., a mentoring program for high school girls.
Besides Stites & Harbison
Whitney enjoys traveling, volunteering with various community organizations, and spending time with family and friends.